With the ubiquitous deployment of communication networks for a wide range of communication services, management of the associated network devices (which can number in the hundreds if not thousands) can be a daunting task for network managers. For example, in telephony networks, the number and types of voice switches vary from traditional circuit-switched switches to packetized voice switches (e.g., Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services). Also, these networks can have a global footprint, thereby introducing further challenges. From a network management perspective, these factors of diversity in switch types and locations have spawn ad hoc, labor intensive processes and management mechanisms. Given the competitiveness of communication offerings, service providers must maintain a high level of network availability and reliability to ensure consumer satisfaction and loyalty. To accomplish this, information from these devices to perform maintenance and troubleshooting needs to be acquired rapidly and efficiently.
Therefore, there is a need for an approach that permits a user to access information quickly and conveniently from network devices for proper management of the corresponding network.